The New York Times recently made the point that Acer may soon pass Dell (DELL) as the world’s second-largest PC manufacturer. This analysis indicates that Dell favored direct sales for too long while Acer…
The unemployment rate for June is likely to go to 9.6% or higher according to most analyst estimates. There are anecdotes from all over the country that businesses which have cut people are prepared…
Reuters: GM will accept product liability on cars it has built in the past. Reuters: Obama could consider a second stimulus if necessary. Reuters: Rising office availability in NYC is slowing. Reuters: VW says…
Markets in Asia were mixed. The Nikkei fell 1% to 9,783. The Hang Seng was off .5% to 18,506. The Shanghai Composite rose 1.6% to 2,75. At the open in Europe, the FTSE rose…
GE’s (GE) CEO Jeff Immelt wants the US to focus on rebuilding its manufacturing economy in the hopes of expanding the American export base. The notion is laudable, but financially impossible. GE will launch a national…
It is time for Detroit to pull its products and sponsorship dollars out of NASCAR. Toyota (TM) may be able to afford the marketing luxury, but Ford (F), Chevy, and Chrysler cannot. Chevy as 14…
General Electric Co. (NYSE: GE) has now confirmed that it will open an advanced manufacturing technology and software center in Michigan called The Advanced Manufacturing and Software Technology Center. We had reports initially of…
NutriSystem, Inc. (NASDAQ: NTRI) is well known as the weight management and weight loss company that delivers specially designed food in bulk. You have seen its commercials on TV. Now the company is naming…
The Commerce Department’s Personal Income and Consumer Spending numbers have been released for May 2009 and the numbers were +1.4% on Personal Income and Consumer Spending was Up +0.3%. The income portion was significantly…
Potash Corporation of Saskatchewan Inc. (NYSE: POT) did last night what most traders already feared was coming. The Canadian potash supply giant said that weak demand for its products and lower prices were going…
These are the top early-bird analyst calls with upgrades and downgrades seen this Friday morning with over two hours until the market opens: Central European Media (CETV) Raised to Neutral at JPMorgan. Chiquita Brands…
Japan’s consumer price index fell 1.1% in May. According to the AP, that is a record drop. The Japan of 2009 is starting to look like the Japan of the 1990s when real estate…
GM wants to sell Hummer. It needs the money. Sichuan Tengzhong, a heavy equipment firm based in China, looked like a ready buyer. GM would like to find an acquirer that would save most…
Software applications which allowed owners of Apple (AAPL) iPhones to download pornography have started to disappear from the firm’s huge App Store which now has more than 50,000 offerings. According toThe Washington Post, Apple’s…
A sign that the IPO market in Asia may be overheating is the case of BaWang International, which raised $214 million. The company makes shampoo, and the offering was oversubscribed by 400 times at the…
Oil jumped above $70 a barrel as Nigerian rebels attacked a Royal Dutch Shell facility. It is one of a number of such incidents in a nation that is the 12th largest supplier of…
Reuters: Bernanke denied putting pressure on Bank of America (BAC) over the deal to buy Merrill Lynch. Reuters: GM said a bankruptcy delay would destroy suppliers. Reuters: Nominees have started to emerge for the…
Markets in Asia were higher The Nikkei was up .6% to 9,77. The Hang Seng rose 1.3% to 18,512. The Shanghai Composite was up .21% to 2,928. At the open in Europe, the FTSE…
Software is supposed to be a high margin business and hardware a sector in which most companies struggle with gross margins. Hardware components are expensive and there is almost no getting around that. Apple…
The old Fed and new Fed don’t get along. A day after the FOMC pronounced inflation nearly dead and said that the dynamics of the economic recovery would not allow it to overheat, Alan…